Bill and I had debated taking the rig down to Seward for the 4th of July festivities. Linda & Steven had said they would keep an eye out for anyone leaving and save a site for us, but then a different option was presented – how about we just come down on the 3rd and stay the night with them? A slumber party!? Sure – why not!
Linda decided to do an open invitation for any RVillagers staying nearby. RVillage is an online community for RVers, sort of like FaceBook. When you arrive at a CG, you check in and it will show you if anyone else is checked in there. Then, if you want, you can send a message and get together. We’ve met several very nice couples that way, shared campfires and stories.
We arrived at Seward Waterfront Park in the early afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and the views of the water and mountains right out their front window were amazing! We walked around downtown for a while, checking out all the vendors that were set up, selling their AK made items, t-shirts and food! We got in line for some fried halibut and corn (they spelled it korn) fritters. Yummy! After getting our fill, we walked back to Scoopy (Linda & Stvens rig). BigBoomer (Les & Sue) arrived shortly after and the party was officially underway! By 4:30 there were about 22 people there! Everyone brought snacks to share and their own drinks and chairs.
beginning of the famous race! dog sled
some of the best halibut we’ve had!
scenes from the festival
trying chocolate covered bacon
there are a lot of murals around town – so many that Seward has on official Walking Mural Tour
beautiful fountain!
more murals
We enjoyed a wonderful evening chatting with fellow RVers, with the beautiful waterfront backdrop! We could watch otters playing, birds (including eagles) flying about and off in the distance we saw an occasional porpoise. Can’t beat that!
Bill with Les and Sue
Jersey Girls meeting up in AK!
looking at Steven & Lindas rig from the waters edge
Most folks had left by 7:30 – 8:00 or so, heading back home. Les and Sue hung around and we played an extended game of Apples to Apples, which was a lot of fun!
Then it was time for the fireworks, which were set off at 12:01am! Clouds had rolled in, making it darker than usual for that hour.
We were all tired by the time fireworks were over, so we went to bed.
In the morning, Steven headed out earlier than the rest of us to get pics of the Mount Marathon Men’s Race. The race is 3.1 to 3.4 miles long (there is 2 routes to choose from) and there’s about a 3,000′ elevation change. They go up the mountain and back down!
By the time Linda, Bill and I got dressed and had some breakfast, we made it downtown for the start of the Seward 4th of July Parade! After the parade, it was time for women’s Mount Marathon race. We watched as they got their start – away they went! You could see with binoculars as they scrambled up the steep incline near the top! We then watched as the winner of the race, Christy Marvin, crossed the finish line with a time of 51 mins 2 secs. Her time was about 10 mins slower than the men’s winner, David Norris, with a time of 41 mins 26 secs.
Mermaid Princess
Mermaid Court
Smokey the Bear!
Boy Scouts on bikes!
proud Dad
Mount Marathon – yes – the race route goes up to the top and then back down
the womens winner – making a strong finish about 2 mins in front of the second place time
We all then decided that since the halibut was so good the day before, we wanted it again! Was just as yummy the second time!
Bill and I hung around a while, visiting and loving the views, before heading back home to Renfros. When we got back, after sitting in traffic for half an hour, we checked in with Gary and learned we missed Les & Sue! Boo! They had stopped by and dropped off a present for us – PORK ROLL! A taste of home from our mutual NJ home state! Thanks guys!
Tuesday, Gary needed some help emptying out his storage unit, so Bill and I told him we would do it – no more storage unit! Took 2 truck loads, but it’s all back here now.
Wednesday we walked a bit of the Victor Creek Trail, looking for berries. We found some – but they aren’t ready for picking. We also drove out to Lowell Point – where Rollie helped us find some salmon berries. We then spent some time with Linda & Steven, after they picked up their son, Zac, from the airport. We had grilled hamburgers on delish brioche buns they picked up at Costco. We got to see a cruise ship turn around on its way out!
Victor Creek
backs up away from the dock and small boat harbor
does a 180* turn and heads out to sea
BTW – the 2 pics above depict typical Seward weather – we’ve been pretty lucky that we’ve had as many nice days as we’ve had!
Thursday we again helped out at Renfros because they unexpectedly had 7 cabins to clean – won’t bore you with the details!
Tune in next time to hear all about our awesome day with Tracy & Lee! It’s all about truly living like AK locals.
